Stalker
by EuphoniumGurl0
Summary: I was grateful for a second that I had decided to follow him, not stalk, follow, on a day that he was in a good mood.


A/N: Ahoy, and welcome to the Black Pea-- Ahem… sorry about that. I keep forgetting that I'm not Jack Sparrow. Tsk. Anyway, here's a one shot that's a sequel… or is a prequel technically… to "The Library." It's not the actual sequel that's coming out after Deathly Hallows. It's just something to tide me/you over. I think it still makes sense to those who didn't read "The Library" so here you go… though it probably will make you read The Library because of all the holes that will be left in your heart! Muah!

Setting: Diagon Alley/Spinner's End before the sixth book

Spoilers: books 1-6

Pairings: mention of SS/HG

POV: 1st

Warnings: first 1st person attempt (haha) though really... none… though it does leave you hungry for the sequel

Rating: K+

The damn baby screamed, tugging at my cloak. It was reaching out for whatever had run into it. That was me, of course, but that baby didn't know that nor did it need to. All the baby and its mother saw was a slight space in the bustling crowd of Diagon Alley. The mother assumed that it was just another one of the hurrying people trying to get their business done. After all, it was just a week before Hogwarts would open. Most of the occupants on the streets were teenagers buying supplies and harassed looking younger kids, forced to shop with their mums and dads. So, the mother simply dismissed it and picked up the crying child, promising that she would buy ice cream before they went home.

It had cost me a fortune, in time and in money, to find and acquire the invisibility cloak I was donning at the moment, and I was going to be damned before I let a little brat expose me. It's not my fault the kid is so damned short. It's the mother's fault for not carrying the little chit like she should have been doing.

I almost lost sight of my "target," but I managed to push through the crowd hurriedly just in time to see him entering an apothecary. How incredibly typical and predictable. Even if I had lost sight of him, the first places I would check would be that apothecary and the surrounding book shops. I smirked to myself as I walked to the empty street near the apothecary and stood by the window, waiting for someone else to open the door so that I may enter behind them. I watched Severus as he examined a few jars of shi-- _ingredients _before moving on to some sort of tank that looked like it was just filled with plain water. I wondered what it was filled with, my curiosity almost killing me.

I didn't care much for potions when I was in school, and I certainly didn't now, but I was and always would be, deathly curious. Phoenix tears? Not likely. Too expensive. Blood from an albino welsh dragon? Probably not. Wasn't an ingredient needed in such abundance. Pee from a sober, over hydrated Irishman? My eyes narrowed, and I almost missed my chance to get inside as an elderly woman opened the door.

I managed to slip in and made my way toward the tank. Hmm… interesting. It was just an aquarium filled with water that hadn't been filled with live specimens yet. I almost pouted but refrained from doing so. After all, nobody could see me. I sighed to myself as I walked just one shelf past the one Severus was looking at.

Snape looked at me… or the area I was standing in, rather, for a long minute before raising an eyebrow and turning back to whatever he was looking at previously. He placed the item back on the shelf before picking up another one and turning his back towards where I was standing. Severus seemed to be greatly interested by this ingredient, and it bothered me. I wanted to know what it was! I snuck up to him and looked at the shelf, but it was empty. I tried to get a view of the jar, but I couldn't without touching him. So, very carefully, I stood up on my toes, leaning forward slightly and looked around his shoulder to see the ingredient.

It was just a common herb! I was so angry at risking my exposure for something so trivial that I failed to notice Severus step forward and turn to face where I was standing. I lost balance and quickly fell forward, my invisibility cloak slipping off my head.

I kept myself from blushing with sheer willpower. I hated what I looked like when I blushed. I knew I was very handsome, but when I blushed, the redness of my cheeks blended in with my overly red hair. Instead, I plastered the customary Slytherin smirk on my face as I managed to stand up without fumbling like a blubbering idiot.

"Stalking me, Hudson?" Severus asked, his lips quirking in a way they only did around me.

"I was doing no such thing," I denied vehemently. I, Bade Hudson, was not a stalker. Period. The end. There was no arguing this.

"Then why have you been following me since I left my home this morning?" Severus' tone held none of its usual venom. Instead, he seemed amused with the situation. That was very rare for him, and I was grateful for a second that I had decided to follow him, not stalk, _follow_, on a day that he was in a good mood.

"I have not been following you." I said simply, my eyes looking straight into his, daring him to contradict me. Usually when people lie, one of the most obvious tells is to look at the ground or in the air. I had learned to overcome this when I was young, and it came in handy as I was now sitting on the Wizengamot.

He snorted, almost rolling his eyes. "So, how may I be of amusement to you today, Bade?"

"I was just…" I trailed off. I couldn't very well deny stalking or following him if I didn't have a reason for being right here right now. "looking at potions ingredient," I finished lamely.

"I'm losing my patience for your intolerable behavior. We are not children anymore, and you need not treat me as if I am dense. I am very well aware that you've been following me throughout the course of the day, and I demand to know why immediately." Snape used a dangerous tone of voice, and I sighed.

"I wanted to know whether Hermione was back yet." I answered honestly, watching as Severus' face fell, dropped, and a million emotions ran over his face. Obviously, this wouldn't be visible to anyone but someone who knew him as well as I did. His face looked as stony as ever, but his eyes gave it all away.

"No." He answered shortly, his voice as cold as if he were speaking to one of his "insufferable" students. He didn't patronize me, pretending to play dumb as he pointed out that technically she was probably sitting in the comforts of her home or at one of her friends' homes. He knew what I meant.

"I miss her." The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them, and I immediately regretted them. While I had a friendship with Hermione that was unknown to Severus, Lupin, and most of the school, I did not hold a candle to the sort of relationship that she and Severus had.

He surprised me for the second time that day when he took my wrist and apparated us into his home. He sighed, his defenses dropping for only a second before he sat down on an uncomfortable looking sofa, motioning for me to do the same.

After school had ended, I had sent owls to Severus every few days for months only to get back short, annoyed responses. I knew that I was not a miracle worker, and I gave up. Then, he surprised me by initiating contact a few times, and I realized that Severus really did value me as a friend. I always assumed he did, but his lack of contact for those first few months had managed to convince me otherwise. We had stayed friends for years which is why I knew how hard it was for him to let anyone see his demeanor change. I was appreciative of the trust which he showed in me.

His recent lack of contact and replies made me follow him today. I was worried for him, plain and simple. I had to come see for myself. I was worried that I had somehow misunderstood Hermione and that she had come back early. I wanted to follow Severus to see if I could find the cause of his callousness- her. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, that had not been the case.

"I do not know what to do, friend," Severus admitted.

I sat down on the rock hard seating and said nothing, knowing that he was not finished. He was merely sorting his thoughts out.

"I know that it is only a few months before she leaves, and I know that her return will be just as soon. If the war is still raging, how will I protect her? How can I? Do I even want to?" His voice turned bitter, and he looked disgusted with himself and the situation he was facing.

"I don't know, mate. You still love her. It's clear as day. You've lived through more than most men die for, Severus, and it's made you hate life. However, you cannot bring yourself to let go of her. You'd save her should the need arise, but I don't know where it goes from there."

"She is my weakness, and I loathe her for it. Even as an insufferable little chit, it's frustrating to watch her grow to be the Hermione that I know. If the war is finished when she goes and returns, what happens then? It will be like no time passed for her, but it's been years for me. What do I say? How can I satisfy her when I don't know what she will want… when I don't know what _I_ want?"

I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly, knowing it was the closest that Severus Snape would ever come to allowing someone to hug him. I didn't know what to say. Had I been the meddlesome boy that I had been when I was at school, I would've preached to him about how he would romantically take her into his arms, and they would run off to get married, have a nice shag, and have lots of little babies with monstrous hair and huge noses. However, I had quickly found out that the world did not always work like that as I became the man I am today.

"I heard that you finally got the Defense job you've been pining over like a horny school girl," I said, lightening the mood.

"You "heard" from _me_." He looked at me darkly, an expression of mock annoyance on his face.

And just like that, I knew that Severus was fine… for now at least… at least until our Hermione came back. That would be in just under a year and a half, and I have to admit that I was worried… because I knew under what circumstances she left and would be coming back to. I knew more then, and I know more now, and it scares me. It scares me shitless.

A/N: Now, who's hungry for the sequel?! Thanks to LadySnapey for giving me the courage to post this and fixing a few things.

Like it? Love it?! Do you wish to hit me over and over and over and over again?! Review!

Push that damn button! You know what to do.

And you know you want to.


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